Will's Journey
by I-Confuse-Everyone
Summary: Have you ever wondered how Willie got from London to Little Weirwold and what it was like for him? Well here's where you find out! COMPLETE
1. Leaving

**Will's Journey**

**Chapter One**

**Leaving**

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

Willie struggled down the street, carrying his cheap, dirty plastic bag with his few possessions in it. His mother, Mrs. Beech, was in front.

"Hurry up, Willie!" she snapped, "You're making us late!"

Willie stumbled as he sped up and succeeded in walking through a large dirty puddle. He gave a low cry and sweat broke out across his forehead and under his arms. Mrs. Beech turned around.

"You stupid boy!" she shouted, slapping him. Willie rubbed his arm, where she'd slapped him and pulled up one of his socks that had slid down.

'I'm evil' he thought, as he trailed after his mother.

* * *

"I want him to stay with God- fearing people," said Mrs Beech.

"I'm sorry Ma'am but I cannot be sure he'd stay with God- fearing people," said the billeting officer, nervously.

"I demand it. I will not let him be evacuated if he isn't!" said Mrs Beech, angrily.

"That's against the law," said the billeting officer.

"Come, Willie!" called Mrs Beech, in a high voice. Willie reluctantly began to trudge after her.

"Ma'am!" cried the billeting officer, "Ma'am, we'll make sure he does as you ask!"

Mrs Beech smiled graciously. "Thank you. Now, Willie! Pay attention!" Willie jumped and stared up at his mother with large fearful eyes. "Don't forget to read your Bible every night and do everything your host or hostess tells you too," she snapped.

"Yes mum," he replied, dully.

"Don't look in your bag or it'll be trouble for you. Do you understand?" she barked, shaking him, furiously.

"Yes Mum, Yes!" he cried. Mrs Beech let go of him, turned on her heel and marched out of the school. Willie watched her go, not feeling in the least saddened.

* * *

The warden stamped out his cigarette and put down his cup of tea in his warden's hut. He rubbed his hands briskly together. 'These September winds are too chilly!' he thought, shivering slightly. Sid stood up and looked outside through his grimy, dust coloured window. The school was dead opposite and a large group of children were coming out, holding hands, and looking bewildered and frightened. They all carried bags of some description and had nametags around their necks. Now the warden understood. They were evacuees.

"Not a pretty sight," remarked a voice from the huts door. Sid turned and looked at the speaker.

"'Ello Glad. What you doing here this time of morning?"

"I just finished my night shift. I took over from Mrs. Beech, as she wuth theening Willie orf," lisped Glad.

"Oh right. I ain't seen her this morning,"

"Well Willie's there. She must harf. Look!" Sid and Glad watched the party go by. Willie was at the back and two boys, just behind, were pushing him. Suddenly, they pushed him hard and he fell over.

"Now look at that!" said the warden, startled, "That's just bullying!"

"Yeth. Teacher's don't care though," replied Glad, watching the scene. She was right. The teacher at the back carried on walking, regardless of the heap of the ground. The two boys were laughing spitefully.

One of the teachers turned around. "Get up, boy!" Mr. Barrett roared, "I've got my cane with me!" Willie gave a frightened cry and stood up quickly. He staggered after the party; not noticing that he had mud all over his mackintosh or that one of his socks had rolled down. The two spectators in the warden's hut noticed though.

"Oh my! His leg's covered in bruises!" said Glad, shocked.

"Maybe he fell over while he was playing?" suggested Sid.

"Willie Beech don't play," said Glad, "His murver makes sure of that!"

"Then what caused all them bruises?" asked Sid.

They both knew the answer to that.


	2. The Station

**Will's Journey**

**Chapter Two**

**The Station**

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

Willie stood nervously apart from the other children and watched with big, round, fearful eyes as the hissing, spitting steam train drew into the station. He felt nervous and afraid. He didn't know where he was going or what he was doing. Nobody had told him. All his Mum had said was that she'd had enough of him so he was going away for a while.

Willie shivered. The station platform was very cold and his thin mackintosh wasn't very warm. He was glad when the teachers finally began herding them onto the train.

"Get on, get on!" roared Mr Barrett, "Hurry up, we haven't all day. I have my cane with me as usual!"

Willie sank gratefully into his seat. It wasn't comfortable and he was squashed up next to some other children. Thankfully, that scary boy wasn't sat near him. The train started with a shudder and a jerk. Willie stared out of the window at the grey gloom that was his home. He could see all the other children's mother waving them off. Most of them were crying but waving cheerfully at the same time. Mrs Beech wasn't there but Willie didn't expect her. He knew he'd been evil recently. The marks on his legs proved it.

Willie gave a short gasp and quickly pulled up his sock, which had slid down. The boy sitting opposite stared at Willie. He flinched and looked away, flushing slightly. Willie risked another glance at the boy. He was still staring.

"What are you looking at, Willie Beech?" he asked,

The other children looked up, fascinated,

"Nothing," whispered Willie, bowing his head.

There were sniggers and laughter from the other evacuees but Willie didn't hear. All he heard was the blood pounding in his head and the tear leaking out of his eye.


	3. The Journey

**Will's Journey**

**Chapter Three**

**The Journey**

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

The train journey was long and many of the children grew restless at each passing hour. Willie kept his head bent and avoided looking at anybody else- he just stared out of the window seeing nothing.

When half past twelve eventually rolled around Mr. Barrett came stamping along the train.

"Listen up! It's now lunchtime. Get out your lunches that your parents have given you. Do _not_ make a mess or you will feel my cane against your skin! Is that understood?" he roared,

"Yes Mr. Barrett," chorused the school children, rustling around to retrieve their packed lunches.

Mrs Beech hadn't given Willie any food. He didn't dare look in his plastic bag because Mum had told him not to. She would find out if he had and then he would be beaten again. He unconsciously rubbed his arm where a deep welt was and felt the hollowness in his stomach deepen. He hadn't eaten anything that morning and last night, it was only a dry piece of bread. He was very thirsty though and longed for a cup of water. He glanced inconspicuously around where all the other children munched sandwiches prepared lovingly for them by their parents. Willie felt hot tears press against his eye lids but blinked them back furiously. He knew it was his own fault that his mother didn't love him. He was evil.

At around half past four the train slowed down and finally stopped with a snort. Willie glanced out of the window and saw a few grey buildings and a sign with writing on. He couldn't understand it though as he couldn't read.

In about ten minutes, Mr Barrett began to shepherd children off the train, a compartment at a time. Finally he came towards Willie's compartment.

"Stand up and form an orderly queue!" he snapped. The children jumped to do as he said. Willie ended up at the back. The children disembarked the stuffy train and breathed in the cold air outside. It was a relief to be outside again.

"Stand still, stand still!" bellowed Mr Barrett. Very slowly, the teacher began to divide the crowd of school children into smaller groups. Willie was put in a group with a dark haired girl with a teddy bear and several other children, each of them shivering. They stood there, with the autumn leaves swirling around their feet for half an hour before a harassed middle aged woman in a green coat and felt hat hurried towards them.

"Excuse me! Who's in charge here?" she asked, loudly,

"That would be me," replied Mr Barrett,

"Ah, good afternoon sir, welcome to Weirwold. I am the Billeting Officer for Little Weirwold a few miles down the road. I am here to take a group of evacuees there," explained the lady,

"Right," grunted Mr Barrett, "Take this lot."

He was pointing at Willie's group. They shied together nervously.

"Very well, sir. Come along children. Say goodbye to your teacher!"

"Goodbye Mr Barrett," the group whispered. The followed the Billeting Officer into a large square where a market was currently being held.

"Stand here for a minute please. Stay together!" instructed the lady.

Willie watched with wide eyes at she walked quickly towards a horse and cart. A man was sitting in the cart, apparently waiting. The lady and man had a quick discussion and then the lady returned.

"Come along. We're travelling to Little Weirwold, where you will be staying, by horse and cart."

A nervous but excited murmur drifted around the group as they climbed awkwardly into the cart and settled down. The man clicked to the horse and they jogged off past a river sheltered by overhanging trees.


	4. Meeting Mister Tom

**Will's Journey**

**Chapter Four**

**Meeting Mister Tom**

**_Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me_**

Willie fell into a restless doze as the cart rocked around beneath him. The other children spoke quietly together and pointed out varying landmarks.

"What's that?" asked one little girl, next to Willie,

"It's one of them cows!" exclaimed a boy, "I seen 'em in my reading book the ova day!"

The children gasped and stared at the cow in amazement. They all jumped when it mooed loudly and then giggled.

After a while, they got quiet and were content with just staring into space until suddenly, the cart came to an abrupt halt.

"Get out, please," said the Billeting Officer, pleasantly.

The children did as she said and looked around them in amazement.

"Welcome to Little Weirwold," she said, "this will be your home for a little while until we know what's going on in the world." She gave a nervous little laugh. "Well, let's find you families to stay with. They should be waiting at the village hall."

The Billeting Officer's eyes strayed to where Willie was standing at the edge of the group, trying to make himself look invisible. "Oh yes," she said, softly, "I have to deal with you first."

Willie trembled. Usually being 'dealt with' meant a beating.

"Come along. We're just making a short detour first!"

The group followed the lady along the road and past some small houses with straw on the rooftops. Willie wondered what it was. Presently, they passed a nice looking church and a large graveyard with trees in and came to a stop outside a cottage.

"Wait here" the lady instructed the other children and took Willie firmly by the arm and led him up the path in front of them. "I hope this works," she muttered to herself. Willie didn't dare look at her and only stared down at the ground as she knocked firmly at the door.

The door was opened almost immediately and a tall, weather beaten man stood on the threshold.

"Yes?" he asked, bluntly, "What d'you want?"

"I'm the Billeting Officer for this area," the lady began after taking a deep breath and plastering a small smile on her face.

"Oh yes, and what's that got to do wi' me?"

"Well, Mr, Mr…"

"Oakley. Thomas Oakley."

"Ah, thank you, Mr Oakley." Willie heard the lady pause and take another deep breath. "Mr Oakley, with the declaration of war imminent…"

The tall man waved his hand and said, "I knows all that. Git to the point. What d'ya want?"

"It's him I've come about," said the Billeting Officer, "I'm on my way to your village hall with the others."

"What others?"

The lady stepped behind Willie so that Mr Oakley could see Willie's peers standing at the bottom of the path, staring at them. Willie felt himself being pushed forward by the woman.

"There's no need to tell me," said the man, "it's obligatory and it's for the war effort."

"You are entitled to choose your child, I know," began the Billeting Officer, apologetically.

The tall man snorted.

"But," continued the lady, "his mother wants him to be with someone who's religious or near a church. She was quite adamant. Said she would only let him be evacuated if he was."

"Was what?" asked the man, impatiently,

"Near a church."

There was silence for a second as Willie continued staring at the ground.

"His name's Willie," said the woman and finally Willie raised his head to look at the man. He saw a healthy, robust, stockily-built man with a head of thick white hair and skin like coarse, wrinkled brown paper who was glaring down at Willie.

"You'd best come in."

_And so the story begins._

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* * *

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**I aimed to get all my stories finished by 2006 and with 2 days to spare, I succeeded (with the exception of 'Tom' which is a new story). This story has been going for nearly three years (hangs head in shame). I hope you have enjoyed this story and Happy New Year!**


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